Not How It's Done
by Just Dyana
Summary: After a one-night stand, Kagome finds out she's pregnant. She chooses to keep the baby but discovers, nine months later, that the kid is a half-demon. When she runs into the father by chance, it feels important to them both to do their best to raise the kid together. Written for the prompt "Pregnant from a one-night stand" on Tumblr. Updated irregularly, semi-continuity, Inukag.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_ _If I own Inuyasha, nobody thought of telling me, so assume I don't. The kid's name comes from lenbarboza's series Tiny Miracle on Tumblr, I highly recommend you check it out! The idea of Inuyasha working as a mechanic was inspired by Keichanz's great one-shot Just Go With It, which you should also check out if you're interested! And on with the story now!_

* * *

Kagome wasn't one to plan for things. She liked to watch things happen, and enjoy them as they did. When she was fifteen for example, she had jumped on an occasion to go travel around the world with some friends of hers thanks to a program — and had miraculously passed her exams anyway. Then, after high school, she had unexpectedly dropped her medical studies to start training as a priestess, which had just felt better to her. Like it was the right thing to do.

Point was, she didn't mind it when things took a surprising turn.

Still, she would rather have liked _not _to get pregnant with a stranger's child after a one-night stand. It had been bad luck, really. She was on the pill, but sometimes these things happened. She had decided to keep the child without too much of an internal struggle. She knew she could count on her family to help her, she could still practice, and the child would be loved no matter what.

After a very, very long and painful delivery that left her absolutely exhausted, it took an unusually long time before someone handed her the child. She barely noticed the judging glances she received, until the child was laid on her chest.

Then she could only stare in disbelief. The short silver hair and the golden eyes were one thing, but the puppy ears? Her mind went back to the man with whom she had shared a very, very pleasant night. He was _definitely_ human, or she would have felt it. She remembered the dark hair, the purple eyes, he was no doubt…

_A half-demon on human night_.

Okay, wow. That was… That was a surprise. So she had a partially demon son. But before surprise, shock or anything else could make its way into her heart, she felt only acceptance, and most of all, _love_. He looked beautiful, so peaceful, and there was nothing she could do about that new emotion, the strongest feeling of love that had ever run through her.

She vaguely felt a tear roll on her cheek, and she wanted nothing but to focus on the moment, on _him_, on _her son_.

But then, someone coughed.

She looked up, startled and feeling like this extraordinary moment was being stolen from her. Her eyes met the doctor's, and this time she immediately noticed his frown.

"_Miss_ Higurashi," he said, insisting, maybe involuntarily, on her status, "you could have _told_ _us_ about the father. We would have handled your pregnancy differently."

If she hadn't been so tired, anger would have filled her immediately. She could hear the judgement in his voice. There was no way he could know about the night of the conception, and it was certainly _none of his fucking business_, but she didn't deserve that attitude. Not when she had just given birth. And certainly not when they both knew that women who had children with demons often purely and simply weren't received by doctors.

She glared at him silently. Not a word left her lips, and she waited until he quietly stepped back.

Only then did she go back to her son who was staring up at her with his beautiful, warm, golden eyes, and her thoughts drifted to his father. The man had only given her a first name. Yasha. She had tried to find him again once she had found out about her pregnancy, at least to inform him, to let him know, but she had been unable to. Now she felt like she would need him for entirely different reasons, but she promised herself then that she would find him.

No matter how long it would take.

* * *

"Hey Inuyasha, there's a lady who needs you to take a look at her car!"

"So what?" the half-demon mumbled from under the car he was currently working on "Just send her i—"

"I have a date with Sango, actually, so I'm heading out, but I told her you'd see her when she'd get there. You don't have anything planned, do you?"

Inuyasha growled as an answer. Miroku knew _damn well_ that he didn't have anything planned, though he knew Miroku _hoped_ he'd say yes whenever he asked — he wasn't trying to be hurtful.

"Nah, don't worry. I'll see her. Did she say—"

But the door had already slammed behind the young man, and Inuyasha couldn't find it in him to be mad. Sure, it was unprofessional as hell, but Miroku had been talking about that date all week long, and Inuyasha didn't want to hear another _breath_ about the stuff he had planned.

A date. Keh. He'd have liked that. It had to be nice, to be human. Or to be a full demon, for that matter, instead of this stupid place in between. Not belonging to either world.

Sure, there was his human night, once a month, and he gave it a shot, every now and then, with humans, but there was no building a relationship. Still, to be able to have some contact was nice.

He _knew_ there were women who weren't bothered by his status, but, well, he hadn't had the best experiences and— he forced all the thoughts about his ex out of his mind. Miroku would _kill_ him if he destroyed something else here.

He heard a car stopping outside, right in front of the garage, and he moved out from under the car. Probably the woman Miroku had mentioned.

"Excuse me?"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recognize it precisely. The smell was unknown though, and he trusted his nose more than his ears, so he shrugged it off.

"Coming!" he yelled, grabbing a cloth to wipe his hands and his face.

That smell was strange though, he thought as he walked out. Human, clearly, but there was something else on top of it. She had to have been with a half-demon recently, but that _specific_ smell, it was— What—

His eyes fell on the woman as he stepped outside, and he recognized her immediately, making him stop dead in his tracks.

_Kagome_.

She looked up at him, and he fell in her bright blue eyes, in which he'd wished he could drown forever when he'd met her. Of course he hadn't recognized her voice nor her smell, he'd hadn't known either under this form. He swallowed. He looked completely different, there was no way she'd—

"Yasha?"

There was disbelief in her voice, and he couldn't fault her for that. He felt horrible, caught in that situation. What was he supposed to do?

"The name's Inuyasha, actually," he said, his voice sounding distant and hoarse to his ears. "You're Kagome. Pretty good eyes ya have." _Beautiful too_.

She took a step towards him, lips parted, and he resisted so he wouldn't to step back immediately, letting her examine her as he waited, body entirely tense. He couldn't help but notice the way her eyes trailed to his broad shoulders, and to his partially visible chest, instead of his hair, his eyes or his ears. That… had to be good, right?

He cleared his throat. "You… You recognized me immediately?"

Kagome looked up, and he would have loved to tease her on how _focused_ she had seemed on his muscles, but he was way too worried for that now. Hopefully he'd get another shot at that. She let out a soft laugh that surprised him.

"Well…"

There was a cry from inside the car, and Inuyasha practically jumped back. Kagome moved back to open the back door and with soft reassurances, pulled something out.

Something that turned out to be a kid with silver hair, small triangular ears, and golden eyes. Something that stared at him defiantly and leaned forward as though to sniff him. Instinctively, Inuyasha gave him his hand, allowing the kid to discover his smell. He looked young, but demons grew pretty quickly at that age, so he couldn't make a precise estimate though— Who the fuck was he kidding? That _had_ to be from the night when…

He resolutely didn't look at Kagome, though he felt her eyes on him, examining him cautiously.

"It's… He's mine, right?" It wasn't a great question, but he _had_ to make sure. Who knew, maybe his brother had gotten insane and spent a night with a human, though the thought of Sesshomaru with Kagome made him retch. A very dog demon reaction. Feeling possessive of a woman he'd spent _one night _with. A wonderful night, no doubt, and she was probably one of the kindest persons he'd ever met, and he would have _loved_ to be able to have more than one night then, but still. He had no right to that sort of thought.

Kagome chuckled again. "Yeah. No doubt on that. I… I tried to find you, you know," she added softly. "But I only knew your name and…"

He frowned when he felt the child's still toothless mouth around his finger, and he hooked to make sure he wouldn't hurt himself on his claw. Huh. No teeth, no fangs. Had to be really young.

"'m sorry," he said, still not looking at her. "If you'd known I was a half-demon…"

He saw her shrugging from the corner of his eye. "I… don't think it would have changed much, honestly. Maybe I would have prepared his birth longer, but…"

"Ya should get him gloves or somethin'. He's going to have claws soon," he warned. "Might hurt himself at night. He'll heal quick, I guess, but, y'know, might not want the blood on the sheets."

She gasped, horrified, and he looked up at her in surprise as she protectively hugged her baby tighter, though she didn't try to pull the child away from him.

"That's _horrible_!" she protested. "Of _course_ I don't want him to hurt himself!" She sounded almost outraged. "What— What would be resistant enough?"

His mind immediately travelled to his dad's old robe, which his mom had used for that sort of things. He…

"I have stuff for that. Erm… Y'know, I… I don't have much of a right to anything, but I can… I can help, y'know. For shit — if you need money, or help, or…"

Ideally, he would have liked her to let him see the child. He had grown up without a father, without a demon parent, and he would have given _anything_ for that back then, but he didn't want to just ask her that. He had to admit, knowing she had been taking care of a half-demon child for a while, and apparently truly loved him and cared for him made him trust her instinctually, but he didn't to force her into anything.

She gave him a bright smile, and he had the feeling his heart was tightening in his chest.

"Oh that would be great! There are so few resources to take care of a half-demon out there. I've gotten in touch with a few other moms through the Internet, but there is a huge difference based on the father's species, so I wasn't able to get that much… And I—I think it'd be great for Hoshiki if you were— you know— around. So he could see someone like him."

She moved as to touch his shoulder, but hesitantly pulled back, and Inuyasha nodded briefly. Yeah, he was confused as to the distance they should put between each other too. He'd been fascinated by her on that night, but he felt that even more now.

"So, erm, I should call my mom," she mumbled, glancing away from him again, making him realize she'd stopped talking and the silence was indeed getting awkward. "I was told I was to leave the car here? She'll come pick me up and—"

"Well, I could— I mean, feel free to refuse but— I was about to close up anyway so, I could take you home? Maybe? The two of ya?"

There was a hesitation from Kagome, that seemed to last for an eternity. She looked at him in the eye, and saw the hope shining there, as well as the fear of rejection. It didn't take her long. She wanted to _try_ this. For her son, for _their_ son, and, well, for herself too.

So she nodded.

"I'd like that very much, yes."

Inuyasha smiled hesitantly at the child who was still chewing on his finger. He felt like he was a bit late to everything, even though the kid was clearly very young. He would have wanted to be there for her, and be there for him earlier. This wasn't the beginning he would have wished for, just like it wasn't the beginning Kagome would have planned for, had she had the chance.

But it was a beginning nonetheless, and he would take it.

And for once in his life, he decided to let himself hope that something beautiful could come out of this.

* * *

_As mentioned in the summary, this is an AU in semi-continuity that will be updated very irregularly (but, hopefully, _still_ updated). I hope you've enjoyed this first one-shot! Please leave a review if you liked it — or if you didn't and want to tell me why, that's fine too! Just, please leave a review? Pretty please?_

_Dya._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: First chapter's disclaimer is still valid, and this was written for the prompt "There was only one bed" that was sent to me on Tumblr. See the end of the chapter for more notes!_

* * *

"Yeah, yeah, I'm _coming_!" Inuyasha growled, walking to the door. "Ain't no need to tear down the fucking— Kagome?"

Shit. That woman needed to stop surprising him like that, because here she was, standing on his doorstep with her son — _their_ son — in her arms, and he had probably just made a total ass of himself. Again.

"Hi, I'm _so_ sorry to come here without a warning but—"

"Not at all," he managed to mumble. "Don't stay out there, c'mon in. Ah, and don't pay attention to the mess." He wasn't exactly known for being organized and, well, the place could definitely have used some cleaning, but Kagome didn't say anything when she walked in, holding Hoshiki tightly against her.

She still took in the small apartment. The room when they were in barely had enough space for a table and two chairs, plus a TV and a armchair. There was nothing on the walls, and it all felt somewhat impersonal. From where she was, she could see the door opening on what she assumed was his room. It wasn't big or anything, but she decided it suited him. Despite knowing him for a short while, she could tell it wouldn't have been like him to have more space than strictly needed.

Inuyasha grinned when his son reached out for him, recognizing him not only physically but in his scent, just like he had identified him quickly when they had first met. It was then that he really looked at Kagome. She wasn't even wearing a coat, even though they were in autumn, and she looked surprisingly lost.

"Here, let me take 'im," he offered.

She handed the boy to him without a word, then rubbed her arms, and he couldn't help but frown. He felt strongly protective of the woman, though they had only known each other for a while — and even then, saying they _knew_ each other seemed like a very strong term to describe their actual relationship.

"What's going on?" he asked her, his voice deep and serious while he motioned to grab his red jacket and put it on her shoulders.

At that, she started, but there was an ocean of gratitude in her eyes when she looked up at him. Something that made him feel a little uncomfortable, or at least, that was how he interpreted this strange stir in his stomach.

"There was a fire at my apartment complex," she mumbled, wrapping herself tightly in the garment. "We had to go out in a rush, though they think they'll be able to minimize the damage, apparently but— My family's out of town and I didn't where to go and—"

"Don't," he interrupted her, ignoring the feeling of dread he'd gotten when she mentioned the danger they had both been in but holding his son a little tighter against him. He felt the fierce urge to protect them both, probably a normal instinct among other demons, but its strength took him by surprise just now. "No need to apologize. If ya don't mind, you can spend the night here, and then we'll see tomorrow how this turns out, if that's fine with ya."

She gave him a weak smile. "That sounds good," she replied softly.

"He looks exhausted anyway," he said, pointing at Hoshiki whose head was already resting on his chest, "so, erm, I— I have a cradle for him. We can put him in the living room. There's only one bed, but you can take it, 'kay?"

He felt weirdly self-conscious for how small his place was. Not that he would have had any need for more; but still, somehow he would have liked to be able to give them more than this.

"You have a cradle?" Kagome asked, tilting her head.

He felt himself blushing a little. "So what?" he growled, probably more defensive than he needed to be. Yeah, he'd bought one, just in case, or quite possibly in _hope_, that they would come to an arrangement when he would spend more time with the kid. Up until then, they had seen each other a few times, and she had even left him with Hoshiki for a couple of hours at a park. He understood that she wanted to make sure he would be good for the child, and he respected that he had to earn that trust, but that didn't mean a guy couldn't dream, right?

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head, trying with little success to hide her bright smile. She loved that he was getting more involved in Hoshiki's life, and that he clearly wanted more. The more love the kid could get, the better. "Just… I'm afraid he's making his teeth at the moment, so the night might not be easy."

He frowned a little at the information. He couldn't help but feel a little… Maybe not hurt, but sad that he didn't know that. He wanted to be there for that stuff too; not just the happy moments, but also the crappy ones. Because it was his son, sure, but also because he wanted to take parts of that burden off of her. "Yeah, that ain't easy for us," he mumbled. "Because we heal so fast, y'know? So it can take a while. Anyway, don't worry 'bout it. I don't mind."

Kagome nodded, uncertain of what she should say now, swaying on her feet. It occurred to her that she was in a near stranger's apartment, and for a second, she was genuinely worried about it. But seeing the man holding her baby — again, _their_ baby — so gently and carefully, knowing he'd bought a cradle for the kid, she just had that strange conviction that everything would be alright. She was rather good with her intuition, most of the time. Not to plan what was going to happen to her, clearly, but she was rarely wrong when she saw good in people.

"Wanna use the bathroom while I get him ready?" he offered, taking her mind away from her thoughts. "Y'can borrow one of my shirts if you're okay with that."

"Oh, sure, thanks!"

"Just— Grab one in my room, 'kay? The bathroom's over there," he pointed out, though it really wasn't necessary considering how small the place was. "There are clean towel under the sink if you need any and—"

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she chuckled lightly, resting a hand on his arm for a moment. "I'm sure I'll be fine. Oh, and I've started using the gloves you gave me! He doesn't really have claws yet, but I thought better safe than sorry, right?"

He watched her as she reached in her bag and then handed it to him. The fabric had survived the years without any problem, and he suspected his father had owned it for a very long time, until his mom had used it for this, after his dad no longer needed it. His throat tightened as he watched her putting them on the kid carefully.

It felt weird. To see someone actually loving a half-demon, it felt… It felt weird, but it also felt good.

He couldn't help the way his eyes followed her in the bathroom, but then he shook his head, attempting to get himself back on track.

"Let's get you in bed before your mama comes back, buddy," he told Hoshiki. He earned a happy babble, and he couldn't help but smile as his heart swelled with the most intense sort of love he'd ever felt. Nothing could compare to what he felt for this little guy. It was very different from anything else he had ever experienced, but he knew he'd do anything for him, do anything so he wouldn't be hurt.

And surely, what he was feeling for Kagome was just an extension of that.

* * *

When she came out of the shower, she found him sitting on a chair next to a sleeping Hoshiki, and once more, a new warmth filled her chest. It wasn't like she had thought she was _lacking _something, nor that she believed she wasn't giving enough to her baby, but there was just something truly special about seeing Inuyasha here with him.

He looked up almost immediately, and an unusual tension seemed to arise between them. She noticed the way his eyes took her in, the way they widened just a little and then how, when he glanced away, his shoulders and his jaw had tensed. She herself found she needed to repress a shiver.

Yeah. Things… Things were weird. It would have been useless denying they found each other attractive. Hoshiki was truly the proof of that, wasn't he? But they hadn't planned on a tomorrow. Well— if she was honest, she wouldn't have minded, that night. Sure, he'd gotten on her nerves a bit, but she had thought there was so much more to that broody guy under the surface, and she would have loved to discover more. She had even considered bringing it up in the morning. Except that he had been gone when she woke up. Hotel room was paid, which she appreciated, but the encounter had still felt a bit bitter.

She guessed she understood him much better now. Still, they had avoided weird moments in the time they had spent together since their encounter, but it probably couldn't last forever. Sooner or later, they would have to address it.

"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked him softly. She hadn't given it much thought, but he didn't have a couch, after all.

"Guess I'll take the floor or something," he shrugged, avoiding her eyes.

What a fucking moron he was. Offering her to take a shower? He should have _known_ it would make her scent come out, and he already found it irresistible the rest of the fucking time… And the shirt? What was _wrong_ with him? This was basics for a dog-demon. The mix of his scent with hers just made him feel more… More… Ah, dammit.

Worst part was, maybe it had been intentional, to a degree. He already knew the way his instincts considered her, after all. Still, it just felt wrong. She didn't know about it, and he didn't how to express any of his emotions when it came to her.

"Oh no," she protested, frowning. "I can't let you do that! I'd feel horrible!"

He blinked a couple of times, looking at her in confusion.

"Then what d'ya suggest?" It came out more agressive then he'd intended, and he cursed himself. He needed to fucking work on that. At least around her, and particularly around the kid. He would hate to snap at him like that just because he couldn't do better.

Kagome didn't seem to be bothered. She simply rolled her eyes. "We're adults, Inuyasha. We can share a bed." _We literally have a child together_.

He swallowed, then nodded. "Keh. Yeah. You'd better not take all the blankets." Shit, why was he so ridiculous? "Go ahead. I'll try not to wake you up when I arrive."

She gave him a satisfied smile, but before stepping out of the room, she took a few steps towards him. "I really appreciate how much you take care of Hoshiki, and that you're letting us stay here for the night" she said gently. "I just want you to know it goes both way, okay?"

Fuck. He had… He had a really hard time dealing with people being nice to him. Thankfully — or, well, maybe not — it didn't happen often, but he hoped he didn't look ridiculous when he didn't say anything back and simply nodded.

Only then, looking like someone happy with a work well done, did she walk out of the room.

* * *

When he joined her after a long, _cold_ shower, she was on her side, and based on her soft, even breath, he assumed that she was already asleep. Which was a relief, probably, he thought as he silently slipped in bed next to her. Despite his words, he pulled most of the blanket on her. She had looked really cold when she had walked in, and he, as a half-demon, wasn't really sensitive to that sort of stuff.

After watching her back for a few moments, wondering what was going through her mind, and also how she could fall asleep at a stranger's place so easily, with an anger he couldn't quite understand but which he assumed to still be part of his protectiveness, he finally closed his eyes.

He expected sleep to be hard to find, particularly with her by his side, but while her scent made it impossible to focus just a few moments earlier, right now, he found that having her and his son close to him made him relax easily. Probably still something that came from his instincts, at the thought that his family — his pack, perhaps — was around him, where he could protect them. Not that the priestess who was sleeping next to him would have needed any, but still.

It only took him a couple of minutes, before he was sound asleep.

* * *

Kagome jerked up as the first cry broke through the night. For one second, she felt panicked and bewildered, not recognizing her surroundings, but still hearing her son screaming. _Hoshiki!_ She needed to— Ah, right, she was at Inuyasha's place. Still, she tried to get herself out of bed and pull herself from under the blankets she seemed to be entangled in, despite his warning.

"That's okay," a sleepy voice mumbled, next to her. "Don't move, I got it."

She turned around to find Inuyasha's back, sitting on the bed, his silver hair reflecting the pale light of the moon.

"He probably needs changing," she said. "I have—"

"Don't worry, I have everything I need," he yawned, standing up and stretching himself, giving her a nice view at his back, and she didn't know what impressed her more, the muscles or the fact that he had apparently truly thought this through and was taking this so seriously. She picked the latter as she let her head fall back on the pillow. Wow. It had been an _eternity_ since she had been able to do that. She watched as he walked out of the room, and listened as the crying stopped, replaced by his deep whisper.

After a few moments, she got up and tiptoed to the room. She found Hoshiki changed, and Inuyasha holding him in his arms, maybe somewhat clumsily but very tenderly, trying to get him to go back to sleep. She took a moment to watch them, as she was filled with warmth once again. When Inuyasha looked up, she finally approached them, leaning towards the kid over his shoulder.

"You can put him back in, he will fall asleep soon," she explained softly. "He's a very calm baby, and he doesn't fall asleep as easily if we're around."

"Erm, yeah, I just— I guess I just wanted to—" He stopped himself, embarrassed. He was probably being ridiculous, but he had a hard time admitting how much he cared for the kid out loud. He hadn't known him for long, but he would still die for him.

"To hold him?" Kagome rested his head on his shoulder for a moment, holding out a finger for the kid to catch in his hand, but she pulled it out of reach before he could put it in his mouth. "No honey," she cooed, "you know it took a week for mama to heal last time!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Keh, already a fighter, aren't ya? But you should pick better opponents, buddy. Your mom isn't exactly a threat."

Kagome laughed at his words. "Don't listen to your dad," she continued. "_Trust me_, I'm the most dangerous person you'll encounter."

"By that, she means she'll be the one who'll say no when you want to go out late."

"_Exactly_."

Then their eyes met, shining with the complicity of a moment shared. She was smiling brightly, and even he was smirking, and _something_ passed between them. They didn't have the time to identify it, but it was probably at that moment that it became obvious that they couldn't walk away from each other. It wasn't just about the one-night stand — they _shared_ something. Hoshiki, obviously, but it became clear _then_ that it was about more than blood. It was about the love and the care they had for him. They _would_ be together in this, one way or another.

"I'm going to bed," Kagome said, still keeping her voice low. "You can stay with him if you want, but just know, he's going to wake up several more times during the night. If I were you, I'd enjoy the sleep while I can."

He sighed, but followed her advice. These were things he wished he knew already, but the best thing he could do for Hoshiki was to learn. And boy, did he want to.

He laid the kid back down as she walked out of the room, stroking his face gently and earning a happy little laugh for it. Fuck. Was it possible to love someone so much you could die? Because he definitely felt like that right now. He took a few more moments there, just staring back in his son's eyes, silently promising him that he would _never_ let him go through the same things he had experienced. He'd move mountains for him if he had to, and right now, he felt like he could change the world for him too. But he wouldn't let him get hurt. Not ever.

He joined Kagome once more, trying to be as silent as possible. Still, only a few seconds after he had laid down, she called out "Inuyasha?"

He rolled around to find her facing him, and she stared into his golden eyes with a happy expression he didn't recall ever seeing when someone was looking at him. "I'm really glad you're here," she said. "I think it's really important for Hoshiki, and I'm— I'm glad it's _you_. You're doing a great job with him already."

Damn. He didn't know why, but he felt like crying. He hadn't cried when he had found out he had a son, maybe because of all the ways he knew he could fuck this up, but _this_? This was getting to him.

Before he could reply, as he willed back, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, softly. "So you won't mind getting up for him for the night, right?"

There was a teasing tone in his voice, and he chuckled in response. "You're lucky I like the kid."

"He's a great kid," she said warmly. "We can try to make you meet more, if you'd like to. I'll see what's happening for my apartment, and then we can figure that out, okay?"

"Let's do that."

"You should really try to get some sleep."

"I would if you stopped talking."

There was another laugh. It wasn't that different from Hoshiki, he decided, and this had to be why he liked it that much.

Yeah. That _had_ to be the reason.

* * *

Kagome woke up as the sun was rising after the first good night of sleep she had gotten in _forever_. She looked at the arm around her waist in confusion, and when she tried to turn around, she found Inuyasha pressed against her, his face buried in her neck. He seemed deeply asleep, and she couldn't blamed him. He had gotten up several more times in the night, and she knew of experience how hard that could be.

She tried to get up without waking him up, but he jumped the second she moved. For a brief moment, he looked horrified when he looked at her, but before she could gather why, he had removed his arms and was scrambling back.

"Shit, 'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," she soothed him immediately. She hadn't minded, really. In fact, if she was honest, it had been… rather nice. "Just stay here. Do you have something to make breakfast?"

There was a moment of silence.

"I think I have eggs. Want me to help?"

"You should—"

"I'm a _half-demon_, remember? I don't need nearly as much sleep as humans."

Her mouth dropped open. Oh wow, that explained a _lot _about Hoshiki, and she had no idea about that.

"I mean, you don't have to," she said hesitantly. "You let us stay the night, that's the least I can do."

And this was how Inuyasha found himself in front of scrambled eggs while Kagome proceeded to breastfeed Hoshiki. This felt good. It felt right. It felt… It felt like a family.

Well, up until she took a look at her phone, gasped, and got up. "I really need to go. Apparently they saved most apartments, but I still need to check it as soon as possible. You have my number, right? Just— Call me and we'll figure something out for Hoshiki."

Already, she was hurrying to gather her stuff. Before he knew it, she was at the door, where he joined her to open it.

"_Thank you_, Inuyasha," she said as she walked out. "I mean it. I owe you." Her hand brushed against his for just an instant, and without thinking, he briefly squeezed her fingers. The contact lasted a few seconds more than necessary, and he hoped that it conveyed what he couldn't say out loud. That he didn't want her to owe him, that he wanted to become a part of her life, of _their_ life, and that he wanted this to be normal. That he wanted her to be able to count on him.

When her smile widened, he decided it did.

He had a hard time going back in his apartment, even long after she had left his hallway. It felt strange now. Empty. Like this wasn't his place, because his place was with them. Not— not necessarily Kagome, well, maybe not or— shit, he had no idea what was going there.

Still, his place was definitely by his son's side.

He had never expected that the two of them would change him this much, when they had walked into his life, and now, after just a night at his place, he couldn't stand the idea that they were gone.

He grinned, remembering Hoshiki's laugh and what it had felt to hold him.

He wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

* * *

_PapaYasha is the best Yasha. Anyway, I wanted to thank you guys _so_ much — I've been getting a lot of support for this story and I'm super thankful for it! I apologize if I made it sound like I didn't know if I was going to continue this: I will, I just can't promise the updates will be frequent (though I do have plans to write another chapter for Inuvember). I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review to give your opinion if you feel like it, it's super motivating to see you enjoying this :)_

_Dya._


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome had everything ready to go when Inuyasha knocked on her door, Hoshiki in her arms and his bags on the floor. She had probably overdone it a little with her preparations. She knew, of course, that Inuyasha had a lot of things at his place, and she certainly didn't want to upset him by implying he wouldn't be able to take care of the kid properly. On the other hand, well, she was letting her son go for the night. She had only left him with her own mother before, and this felt… very much like a separation.

"Hi!" she greeted Inuyasha happily nonetheless. "You didn't have any trouble finding the place?"

Inuyasha took a hesitant step in as Kagome walked back, glancing around carefully. The place was really small, probably smaller than his own, but unlike his, it was filled with stuff. Whether it was the food spilling out on the shelves in her minuscule kitchen, the plants near the window, or the bright carpet on the ground, the place felt… alive. Actually lived in.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kagome offered, and his eyes found her again.

She seemed to fit in here perfectly, and he couldn't help but feel that he definitely _didn't_. Not in here, not in her world, not in her life.

"Sure," he said, awkwardly walking in after oscillating for a while on her door step. "Just some water'd be nice."

His instincts were screaming at him to get out of here already but, well, he had to be civil, didn't he? He couldn't just run away from any interactions with her on what he perceived as her territory.

She complied quickly, handing him a glass of water, while Hoshiki, safely balanced on her hip, watched his father intensely. He wasn't the most vocal kid, except perhaps when he was hungry, but you could see in his lovely, golden eyes just how much was going on inside his mind.

"Hey kiddo," Inuyasha grinned, reaching out to rub his hair, careful not to bend his ears too much, "you ready?"

Kagome chuckled lightly as Hoshiki made an attempt to lift his head to meet his father's hand. _God _they were cute. She didn't know precisely what it was, though she could guess that Hoshiki recognized his smell one way or another, but the fact that he trusted the man made her feel safer. Sometimes, briefly, she wondered if it was a good thing, to let him into their life when she knew so little of him. And then she saw the look in her son's eyes, she looked at them together, with their golden eyes, their white hair, their dog-ears, and she decided that yes, it was. Something that brought her child that much joy could only be good.

"Are ya moving or something?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her floor.

Ah. Shit.

"No, I— I might have over prepared a little bit."

"Can see that." He didn't look too happy about it, and she felt a painful stab of guilt through her chest. She'd feared that exact reaction. "I have a lot of that stuff already, though. I prepared, too."

He sounded dejected, and Kagome really wished she could have done something to stop her very stressed self from just a couple of hours ago. She noticed the same behavior she saw in her son, particularly the ears flattening against his head, and it was a completely instinctive reaction for her to rest her hand on his arm. He blinked at her, and though she felt weird about it, she guessed she should be happy she hadn't purely and simply hugged him.

Were they in a situation where they could hug? Or even touch, for that matter? They _did_ have a child together but… Ah, this was way too strange.

She removed her hand hesitantly.

"The only person I've ever let him with is my mom," she explained honestly, "and even then, I was never away from him for more than a couple of hours. So I… worried."

Inuyasha swallowed. He could understand that, technically, but he also couldn't help the suspicion building up in him. Kagome was, well, frankly, more than he would ever even dare to hope could exist in a human, in terms of kindness and compassion. She was a dream come true.

She was way too good to be true.

He looked for a flaw, for a point where he would see the real her, who couldn't possibly be that nice to everyone, because no one was, ever, shine through.

It wasn't fair, though. He couldn't hold her to those standards. It was tempting, because parts of him worried that living with a human parent, who couldn't fully understand the struggle of being _half_, could really raise a child who'd suffer from it his entire life, but he shouldn't do it.

"Ya really think I'd have a kid at my place if I didn't have _diapers_ there?" he asked, voice strained, but still trying to bring some humor to the situation. He didn't really want her to notice his reaction, either. Well, clearly she already had, but she didn't need to know how it made him feel exactly.

Civil. He just had to be civil with her. He shouldn't be disappointed in her for something so dumb. All that should matter to him was that she took care of Hoshiki, and that she obviously did. Anything else was none of his business.

"Of course not! And I've _been_ to your place, I know you have those, I just…" she looked at Hoshiki, pouting a little. "It's gonna be weird without him around."

"'s just for the night," Inuyasha vaguely tried to comfort her. "It'll be over before you know it."

"I _know_ you're right, it's just… It's still going to be weird."

There was a moment of awkward silence, before Kagome managed to swallow the sobs that were suddenly building up. She was saying goodbye to her son for the night, not leaving him forever, for God's sake! She really needed to get a grip.

"Erm, so there are the diapers, and there's a bag of clothes, and another one for food, and his portable crib, which, yeah, I know you have one, and a first-aid kit, just in case, and…"

"Kagome," he interrupted her. "We'll be fine. I swear."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry! I promise I won't be like that next time."

Inuyasha chose to ignore the way his heart fluttered when she said 'next time'. He'd thought this was some sort of trial, but the fact that her mind seemed to be already made up was surprisingly nice.

"You're doing great, you know?"

He looked at her, searching for any indication that she was joking, that she was making fun of him, that she was preparing to yell "Gotcha!" to his face.

There was none.

"Really—"

"No, Inuyasha, I _mean_ it. I know you have books on parenting at your place, and I know you have a crib and diapers and I'm sure you have everything you need too. I'm freaking out a little but— You're doing a great job."

He let out a long breath. He hadn't realized he wanted her approbation so badly. But here she was, letting him inside her kitchen, entrusting him with Hoshiki, smiling at him like he was actually a _person_, not worried about what he might do to her, just because half-demons were supposedly mindless beasts.

"Thanks." He cleared his throat. "Guess I'll just—"

"Yes, of course! Here, take him."

She watched with fascination how careful and gentle he was, as always, when she handed him Hoshiki. It wasn't something you would have expected from him, really. Whether it was his looks, the way he talked, the way he moved, everything about him was rough, rugged. Weathered and toughened by time, no doubt, and yet he was capable of such kindness, such softness, and Kagome felt something inside her melting.

"Ya won't mind if I don't take all of this, right?" he asked her, gesturing to the numerous bags on the ground, oblivious to what she was thinking about.

"God, yes," she sighed, laughing awkwardly. "Just take the food and the first-aid kit, maybe? I'm sure you'll be fine without the rest."

"Yeah."

He seemed to hesitate, and she noticed his eyes were on the bag of clothes. It only took her a second to know where his mind was going.

"Next time, for the rest, maybe," she said gently.

He looked up at her and cleared his throat, glancing away almost immediately after meeting her eyes, embarrassed for getting caught. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that. C'mon now, buddy," he said, leaning forward so Hoshiki would be closer to her, "say goodbye to your mom."

Hoshiki didn't need to be told twice, and Kagome laughed when his little arms came in contact with her face. She lovingly dropped several kisses on the top of his head, making him giggle. Oh, she missed him terribly already. It would be so weird to actually be without him. She wasn't sure she liked the thought all that much.

Scratch that, she was _certain_ she hated the thought and she wanted to keep her kid by her side forever. Or, well, until he was three, at least.

"You're gonna have to let go of him, y'know? Otherwise we'll just stay here."

She sighed. She knew that, dammit. She pressed one last kiss on Hoshiki's forehead, and then, because he was there, because he was so close, because it just felt right, because it was natural, she kissed Inuyasha's cheek, softly.

She watched the way his features transformed, going from mocking amusement to utter confusion. She watched as he started to frown, almost feared that he would lash out, and then as his face softened, in a way that almost took her breath away. She'd seen him look at Hoshiki, but seeing him looking at _her_ like this made her simply freeze in place.

He opened his mouth. He wanted to say something. He needed to say something. The tenderness, the kindness of the gesture, and perhaps just a little the feeling of her lips on his skin and the sudden closeness of her smell had pierced right through him, and he felt like he had to comment on that.

But what would he say? _Sorry I ran_?

Keh. A little late for that. His own actions had cost him a year in the life of his son, and he could only imagine that it hadn't been a walk in the park for her either. He had to deal with that.

The moment disappeared, and Kagome buried her hands in her pocket, looking at the floor awkwardly.

"Thanks for leaving him with me," Inuyasha said, his throat still a little tight.

"Sure! Sure. You two have fun, okay?"

"'m sure we will. Bye, Kagome."

"Bye."

She waved at them energetically while they walked down the hallway, Hoshiki looking at her with curious eyes, and a long sigh escaped her the second they disappeared. For a second, in there… They'd felt like a family. And it was stupid of her to think of anything like that, since Inuyasha and her had been brought together only by circumstances, but… But she kind of wanted that.

Well, hope couldn't hurt, right?

* * *

_Hey, it's been a little while! I would really appreciate it if you could leave a review, I'm so happy with the success I've been given for this story and I really hope you've enjoyed this. See you all,_

_Dya._


	4. Chapter 4

Inuyasha could hear Hoshiki's screams from outside as he neared Kagome's apartment, and that immediately had him frowning. The kid was pretty calm usually, so it was unexpected to hear that, but he also realized that the cries had a strange mixture of fear, anger and helplessness that translated into a strong urge to stop them, to remove anything that could make the child unhappy.

He walked to her door quickly, knocked, and, when Kagome didn't reply quite enough, he opened it. Fortunately, it wasn't locked, otherwise he would probably have broken it. He frowned at the thought. She _should_ lock her door, it really wasn't careful not to and… and he couldn't be so overprotective of her. He didn't have any right to.

"Oh, hey, Inuyasha, I'm sorry, did you knock?"

Kagome walked towards him, holding the child against her. She was rocking him gently, clearly trying to soothe him, and that sight at least was reassuring. It sent a wave of tenderness through him. She was doing her best. That was short lived, however, as his sensitive nose picked up on the scent of blood. What was going on here?

"I'm _so_ sorry," Kagome started, trying to speak over Hoshiki's cries. "I know you were supposed to take him out, but he barely slept tonight and I don't think it's going to be much fun if he keeps—"

A particularly loud shriek had her wincing.

"—I don't know how to help him," she finished miserably. "It's his teeth, I think."

"His fangs," Inuyasha realized out loud, and suddenly everything made sense.

That was always bad for demons — and half-demons, obviously. Their organism kept trying to heal them, and of course, the teeth still had to pierce the skin. They did grow them faster than humans, but it was known to be an absolute nightmare. He didn't remember anything of that time, but his mother had mentioned it to him once or twice, and his brother's wife had complained to him about it. He'd even helped with the kids back then.

"D'you want me to take him?"

Kagome let out a relieved sigh.

"You don't mind? I've been up all night too and—"

"'s fine, c'mon buddy."

He weirdly liked Kagome's rambling, most of the time, but with Hoshiki's screams in the background, he couldn't say he enjoyed them. She did look exhausted, with bags under her eyes and messy hair. He took Hoshiki from him, and the kid calmed down, just a little, at his contact, but it mostly meant that his screams weren't _as _loud.

"I'm _so_ sorry," she apologized a second time. "I know this was supposed to be a day out for you and I'm sure you both looked forward to it, but I just _couldn't_ get him to sleep, I tried, really, but—"

She seemed to be on the verge of crying, and it was so unlike her that Inuyasha had no idea how to react. Why was she apologizing, exactly? There was nothing she could have done. The kid was in pain. Sure, it was unpleasant and painful, to know that he was suffering and there was nothing they could do about it, she probably hated it as much as he did, but they just had to wait it out.

"D'you have anything he could chew on, perhaps?" he asked, interrupting her somewhat awkwardly, not knowing how to handle it. "I know it helps for some kids, gives them something to focus on, though it ain't gonna last long for a demon. I think my 'ma had something like that for me."

"Oh," she said, and he saw her bit her lower lip and close her eyes briefly. "I didn't think about that," she mumbled with a quiet voice. "I'll see if I have something."

He watched her with worried eyes as she rummaged through cupboards. She looked close to her breaking point. As she stepped out of the kitchen, probably to go in Hoshiki's room, he focused on the kid. Hoshiki was screaming and moving around in his arms.

"You look just as tired as your 'ma," Inuyasha commented. He knew Hoshiki liked it when he was resting against him and his voice rumbled through his chest, and indeed, he seemed to calm down a little when he talked. "Don't you wanna go to sleep? 'cause it seems to me like you need some. Give a break to your 'ma. Don't worry, we can reschedule our walk."

Kagome walked back in, holding a rubber ring, and allowed herself to rest for just a second against the door, watching as Inuyasha rocked Hoshiki, talking to him gently. His voice didn't change that much, when he spoke with the kid, which she found interesting. Most people talked to babies differently, and Inuyasha did have a deep, somewhat scary voice, but he didn't change anything with Hoshiki, which she thought was great. He did, however, watch his language a little more, and she appreciated him all the more for it.

"I have something," she said, approaching the pair, "but you're right, it's _never _going to last, and I'm afraid he'll swallow some parts."

Inuyasha took the ring from her hands. It was large enough that it wouldn't fit entirely in his mouth, and it wasn't like there much out yet.

"It'll do. Why don't ya take a second to— I dunno, eat or drink or something, and I'll try to get him in bed?"

She nodded, looking grateful.

"Thanks, Inuyasha. I don't know if you'll be able to do it, but I— I really appreciate it."

"Any time."

* * *

After what felt like hours, Inuyasha finally managed to get Hoshiki to rest. With the help of the rubber and a lot of singing that rumbled through his chest, the kid's eyes finally closed, though to be fair, he was probably way past his point of exhaustion. He laid him down very, very carefully, and as he did, he realized he was wearing the gloves he'd given to Kagome. That had him frowning briefly, until he understood.

_Well, that explains the smell of blood_. The kid was small, and he doubted his claws would have gone very deep, but still, he couldn't control himself yet, and he'd probably hurt Kagome. The thought was unpleasant. Had he done that, too? Hurt his 'ma? He hoped not.

He found Kagome dozing off at the table when he came back in, but she looked up and smiled at him quickly when he sat down, facing her.

"You did it!" she yawned. "He really, really needed some sleep. At this point, I think he was crying from exhaustion as much as from pain." Then, her face crumpled a little. "God, this is going to last for days, isn't it? My poor baby…"

"Hey," he said, instinctively reaching out over the table to take her hand in his, the gesture so _natural_ that it almost scared him, "it's gonna be fine, 'kay? I mean, it does hurt like a bitch, but it'll also be _over_ in just a few days. I mean, 'til he grows the next one, but let's take it once at a time, alright? Just make sure he doesn't rip the rubber to shreds."

She nodded, laughing a little.

"Thank God you don't talk like that around him."

He scoffed, but still chuckled. Yeah, it wouldn't be too great if the first words Hoshiki learned were parts of his vocabulary.

Kagome squeezed his hand in hers.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," she said softly. "And again, really, I'm super sorry that—"

"Stop apologizing already woman," he practically growled, and her eyes widened at the sound."It's not like there's much you could have done."

"I mean, I could have given him—"

_"__Kagome._ Stop beating yourself up about that. You're doing everything you can, right? And it ain't like you're taught 'bout how to rise a demon, are ya?"

She shook her head wordlessly.

"So this isn't your fault and— _ah, don't cry!"_

Shit. Shit shit shit. Him and his big mouth. He hadn't meant to cause that, he didn't think there was anything wrong with her.

"I'm _sorry_," she said yet again, only sobbing this time, "I don't mean to cry, I'm just really tired and I— I feel like I'm being such a _terrible_ mom, and I couldn't do anything to help him, and you made it work really easily so _clearly,_ I could have done better and—"

Ah, fuck. In just one step, he was in front of her. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him as she cried. She held onto him, fingers digging in his shirt. He simply let her, hands moving on her back, trying to get her to calm down. He just wanted to comfort her, wanted her to be okay, and yet he couldn't help but think about how nicely she fit in his arms, and about how he liked that. Holding her.

It wasn't the fucking time for those thoughts.

When she moved back, she quickly wiped her tears away. She felt a bit ridiculous for the whole thing. She hadn't meant to push all of her emotions onto Inuyasha. Poor guy really hadn't signed for that. They were Hoshiki's parents, of course, but they didn't exactly do their thing _together._ Not that she hated the idea of them being… partners, or _something_, but she still hadn't meant to lose it like that. Sometimes, things just got hard.

"Feeling better?" Inuyasha asked, patting her head somewhat awkwardly.

She laughed, a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. Sorry I—"

"You really need to stop apologizing. You're doing a fucking fantastic job here. I know demon mothers who knew that shit was coming, and you handled it a thousand better than them."

Well, better than Kagura, at least, and he supposed that wasn't too hard, but she didn't need to know that. She smiled again, and he nodded, satisfied. She should be fine with a good night of sleep. But first…

"Did he scratch ya?"

She blinked, and then he watched as her hand went to rub her arm.

"Oh, yes, he did, but it's nothing too bad, really, and I gave him his gloves, so…"

"Yeah. Y'should let him keep it. 's good if he didn't do much, but he can still hurt ya." His face was surprisingly somber as he said that, and it almost made Kagome want to ask questions, but she held them back. She was way too tired to have an actual conversation, but one of these days… They would really need to have one. "And you can always, y'know, call me, if things get too hard."

She gave him a bright, sincere smile at that. She had to admit, she was impressed by how he stuck around, even when things were complicated. He wasn't just there for the bright, happy, _easy_ moments of Hoshiki's life. He was genuine about wanting to be involved in every aspects. Even the ones that were far from brilliant.

"Now ya should get some sleep, too," he said when she yawned again. "I can stay here, if ya don't mind?"

"I don't. You can— watch TV or— I have some books— or—"

"I'll handle myself," he shrugged. If she didn't get herself to bed now, she was just going to fall down from exhaustion. "And I'll take care of Hoshiki if he wakes up, so don't ya worry 'bout it, okay?"

Her smile softened as she watched him. Who'd have thought, huh? The tall, broad-shouldered half-demon with the tough exterior and the crude language. Taking care of his kid, and of her, though she wasn't his anything.

She didn't think much when she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. For everything you did for us today."

It took him a couple of seconds to find his voice again.

"Yeah. Whatever. Now go."

She laughed, missing the fact that _she_ was the reason he was reacting, that he was blushing, and that he was avoiding her eyes.

"G'night," she mumbled on her way out, though it was the middle of the day.

"Good night," he mumbled back.

The second her door was closed, he let himself fall on the couch, hand covering his face. This was— He was _ridiculous._ This shouldn't affect him this much. This shouldn't affect him _at all._ They had a fucking baby together, and he was losing it at a _kiss? _It made no fucking sense. He made no fucking sense. Nothing fucking made sense here.

He growled loudly, grabbed the remote control, and turned the TV on, trying to think about something else. Trying to think about anything but how he liked to hold her, how he was glad she'd kissed him, and how he was starting to think that he wouldn't mind, if she did it again.

Damn. He was fucked.

* * *

_Hey, it had been a while! This was written very quickly so I hope it's good, but it had been on my mind all day so I wanted to get it out of my system x) They were actually supposed to have the conversation Kagome mentions briefly in this chapter, but then it... didn't happen because it didn't work that well in this. I hope you liked it, I will say I really really enjoyed writing it! Thank you for your support on this story, it really means a lot, and as always, I really appreciate any reviews you leave, they always make my day when I receive them!_

_Dya._


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